Sergio Perez's one-stop strategy surprises Pirelli – Formula 1 news
Pirelli has been surprised at Sergio Perez’s one-stop pit strategy which the driver used for the 2011 Formula 1 season opening race in Australia.
The move by Perez was quite unique since the rest of the teams went for a 2-3 pit strategy because of the fast degradation of the Pirelli tyres.
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery admitted that it was shocking to see Sauber pull off a one-pit strategy even though Sergio is a rookie.
“We were all looking and saying 'He [Perez] has to stop, surely'. We actually thought the numbers were wrong and we had missed a stop. His driving style was a key factor, as well as his car. But I would be surprised if we see it again,” Hembery told the
media.
Perez finished in 7th place after starting the race from 14th place on the grid. However, Sauber was later disqualified for infringing the International Automobile Federation (FIA) regulations regarding the dimensions of their rear
wing.
Pirelli’s former test driver Pedro de la Rosa echoed Paul’s statement by saying that in Malaysia, the teams will have to go for a 3-4 pit strategy at least.
Hembery stated that Pirelli enjoyed a smooth weekend before during the Australian Grand Prix and he was pleased with the new tyres’ performance at the season opening race of the 2011 Formula 1 season.
“We had no issues whatsoever and the degradation was less than expected meaning that most drivers - including the top three - chose a two-stop strategy as we had predicted,” Hembery said.
He added it was interesting to see a wide range of strategies from one stop to a three-stop strategy which proves that the new Pirelli tyres are quite flexible when it comes to race strategies.
Other than that, Paul thanked the teams and drivers for their support and input for the development of the new tyres that were introduced by Pirelli with a wide range of compounds as well.
However, the second race of the 2011 Formula 1 season is scheduled to take place in Malaysia and it is going to be interesting to see how the new Pirelli tyres perform there.
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